story by GLENDA WINDERS
You know fall has arrived when festivals and special events start to happen in Pulaski County. The good times begin over the Labor Day holiday, when Monterey Days takes over downtown Monterey. This family-friendly event that brings neighbors together began in 1997. Today it provides an opportunity to enjoy nonstop entertainment, food and games.
Contests such as the Hillbilly Cart Run and Kiss the Pig Contest make for wholesome and fun-filled competition. Also on the program is the Firemen’s Waterball Challenge, where participants and spectators alike get a good soaking. Booths, shows and much more add up to an action-packed weekend.
New this year in Winamac on Sept. 7 is a yet-to-be-named Quadrathlon— a local take on the traditional triathlon that adds something a little different at the end. Participants will bicycle a route through town, kayak from the town park southward to the next DNR access point and run back to town on the Panhandle Pathway. The fourth component is a tenderloin-eating competition, after which live music and food trucks will wrap up the evening.
Then on Sept. 20-22 Francesville will celebrate its annual Fall Festival. This event celebrates “the small town with the big heart” in honor of a group of citizens who organized the nonprofit Francesville Community Improvement Foundation in the 1960s. When there wasn’t enough money in the town coffers to build a new fire station and municipal building, these people put in their own money and hard work to make the building a reality. The townspeople celebrated its completion in 1967 with a dedication and parade.
Today the festivities have the same vibe, but every year is a bit different from the last. This time, along with the usual carnival rides, petting zoo, craft booths and food, visitors can expect to find a dinosaur herd, Friday night “Beer and Bingo,” golf outing, basketball tournament and more that will make for a perfect start to the new season.
For more information visit: simplypulaski.com
